Joint Partnership to Advance Manufacturing in Australia

Automated factory at Sleep Corp®

With co-investment from the IMCRC and Swinburne University of Technology, Sleep Corp®, a proudly Australian owned manufacturing company, is pleased to announce a joint partnership to advance manufacturing in Australia. A total project investment of approximately $2.2 million over two years.

Today manufacturing is defined by speed, quality, flexibility and customisation.

Driven, in what has become known as the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0, by robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, quantum computing, 3D printing, autonomous vehicles and the internet.

In order to be competitive in this changing market place, both on a national and international level, Australian manufacturing businesses need both extraordinary offers and the ability to produce as economically and efficiently as possible.

In recognition of this the IMCRC, a not-for-profit, independent cooperative research centre is helping Australian companies increase their global relevance through collaborative investment, research impact and innovation in advanced and digital manufacturing.

With co-investment from the IMCRC and Swinburne University of Technology, Sleep Corp®, a proudly Australian owned manufacturing company, is pleased to announce a joint partnership to advance manufacturing in Australia.

Sleep Corp®, driven by a belief that when you sleep well, you live well, is headquartered in Melbourne and is the home of the market leading brand Protect-A-Bed® as well as others including Buddies®, Moonshadow®, Dreampad® and SnoreBeGone®.

Founded by David Kaplan in 1980 Sleep Corp® is committed to supporting local jobs and manufacturing.

Efficacy and an extraordinary product offer, as reflected by their Protect-A-Bed® Platinum mattress protector range, core pillars of their ongoing success and growth. “If you purchase one of our Protect-A-Bed® Platinum Mattress Protectors at the same time as a new mattress – we guarantee that your mattress won’t stain or we will replace it” – Paul Blewett, Chief Operating Officer Sleep Corp®.

With a planned move to fully automated manufacturing, this project through the partnership with Swinburne and with assistance from the IMCRC, will analyse Sleep Corp®’s business and see what improvements can be made as they move towards Industry 4.0.

This will be achieved, over a two year period with researchers from Swinburne working closely with Sleep Corp® to set up a novel Virtual Manufacturing System (VMS) that connects robotics-based machinery to a digital twin allowing for a faster and more flexible manufacturing approach to address changing customer requirements while maintaining cost competitiveness for its range of products.

“Industry 4.0 has been implemented previously in manufacturing industries by Swinburne with sustained productivity and quality gains.”

Researchers will connect and integrate all manufacturing operations ranging from tailoring, cutting, sewing to packaging in one VMS application which then will be linked to SleepCorp®’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Data Analysis/Analytics to provide enhanced visibility across the manufacturing value chain.

“This is another great example of how smart companies can collaborate with Australian Universities to undertake joint Industry 4.0 research and development programs that deliver real world outcomes” – David Chuter, CEO and Managing Director, IMCRC.

“Sleep Corp®’s goal is to continue to be a proud Australian owned and made manufacturer, exceeding retailers and consumers expectations alike, on a world stage, with an extraordinary offer that is delivered as efficiently and as cost effectively as possible”. – David Kaplan, founder and Managing Director, Sleep Corp®